Chapter Twenty-Six
Emily
For the first time in several weeks, the alarm went off at 6, and I groaned as I hit the snooze button. It was time to go back to school, and while I was looking forward to seeing my students and hearing about their vacations, there was an air of sadness and loss hanging over the new year.
I hadn’t heard from Blake or my parents since the day I ordered them all out. Over the years, I’d learned to live with the distance between me and my parents, but Blake’s absence brought about a whole new feeling of loneliness. I sighed as I ran a hand over Howard’s fuzzy back, then reluctantly threw back the covers and prepared to face the day.
The phone rang as I poured my first cup of coffee. I checked the screen and then quickly answered.
“KO! How are you doing?”
“I’m all right,” she said unenthusiastically.
“What’s the matter?”
“Em, I need a favor,” she said hesitantly.
“What’s going on?” I asked, worried that there was something terrible lurking.
“I hate to ask, but Pop needs me to stay and help out, so I was wondering if you could stay at the house for a little while longer,” she said, exhaling on the other end. I could feel the stress flowing through the phone line.
“Yeah, of course,” I said. “Are you sure that’s it?”
“Nah, it’s all the family stuff, but you know how that goes,” she said, deflecting the question. “How’s lover boy?”
“No idea,” I said without further comment.
“What the hell happened?” KO demanded. “I thought you two were having hot sex and heading in the right direction!”
“Charlotte and William happened,” I said, knowing that KO would immediately understand. “It was a mess, and I yelled at all of them. I haven’t heard anything from Blake since.”
“Why don’t you call him?” she asked. “Explain the fact that you are the only normal person to come out of a family of passive/aggressive abusers. I’m sure he’ll totally understand!”
“You’re kidding, right?” I laughed. “Not a chance in hell I’m calling after he met my nightmare.”
“I don’t get it,” KO said. “Why?”
“His family is totally normal!” I cried. “My family is beyond fucked up. No good can come of it now that he’s seen that nightmare. Just forget it.”
“I think you’re wrong, but hey, you know best,” she said, with the verbal equivalent of a shrug.
“Look, I’ll stay here, but you’re going to have to let me pay the mortgage or something,” I said, changing the subject abruptly.
“You can pay the utilities,” KO said tersely. “I’ve got the mortgage and insurance taken care of.”
“Then at least let me buy you some furniture or something,” I said. “This place is like a Spartan training facility.”
“I like living in an uncluttered home,” she said.
“A couch? A chair? Something?” I pushed. I knew she wanted a little more than she had, but, like me, she was too proud to accept help. “I mean, I’ll buy it, and if you hate it, I’ll take it with me when I move out. How does that sound?”
“Fine, I guess I can’t stop you, can I?” she chuckled on the other end. “Do what you will.”
“I miss you, my friend,” I said, suddenly feeling very alone.
“Yeah, I miss you, too,” she said quietly. “It’s hard being away from my real life. It’s just…hard.”
“When do you think you’ll be back?”
“No idea,” she said. “Pop needs help, and I’ll stay until he doesn’t.”
“All right, well, call if you need anything,” I said. I could hear KO’s grandfather calling for her on the other end.
“I gotta go,” she said. “Talk soon, chick!”
After she’d disconnected, I stood staring at the phone for a few minutes, thinking about what she’d said about calling Blake. I pulled up his number and started at it before powering down the phone and taking my coffee to the bathroom so I could shower and get ready for my first day back.
There was a light dusting of snow on the ground, and everything looked clean and fresh as I drove into the high school parking lot. I was early, but I wanted to get a chance to prepare my classroom for the new term without the interruption of my colleagues.
“Emily! Happy new year! How was your break?” Betty called, as I walked into the teacher’s lounge to fill my coffee mug.
“Hey, Betty,” I said, smiling back. “It was okay. How was yours?”
“I hear about the fire,” she said, dropping her voice as she moved alongside of me at the counter. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good,” I nodded. “I’m living with a friend until I can find a new place.”
“Do you need anything?” she asked. I knew she was interested in how I was doing, but I also knew her well enough to know she was angling for more information than I was willing to share. “Do you have anyone helping you out?”
“It’s all good,” I repeated with a friendly smile. “I had good insurance coverage, so I’ll be able to replace everything.”
“It’s too bad you don’t have a boyfriend who could help you out,” she said, leaving the unasked question hanging between us.
“Yeah, well, I do all right on my own,” I shrugged. Again, I thought about what KO had said and wondered if I should call Blake.
“One of these days one of these town boys is going to scoop you up and make an honest woman of you!” Betty said, nudging me as she grinned.
“Uh-huh,” I said, giving her a weak smile. “One can only hope, right?”
I poured myself some coffee and headed back to my classroom. I could feel a dull ache starting behind my eyes, and I hoped that the coffee would mute it before the students filed in for classes.
Later that afternoon, after History class, Nina hung back as her classmates moved out into the hallway.
“Ms. Fowler?” she said, as she approached my desk. “I just wanted to tell you that I don’t know what happened between you and my dad, but I’m pretty sure it’s his fault.”
“Oh, Nina, it’s no one’s fault,” I said, moving around to where she stood. She looked small, and she was holding a stack of books that she set down on my desk.
“Whatever, I just wanted you to know I miss having you around the house,” she said, as she picked up a book and handed it to me. “And I got these books from the library. Our trip to the museum made me want to learn more about the people who came to Waltham.”
“Nina, that’s great!” I said, taking the book she offered and flipping it open. It was the story of the first women workers in the BNC factories. “This is a great book! You’ll get a lot out of it, and it’ll help with the final exam essay question, too.”
“It’s interesting,” she said, smiling. “Thank you for showing me the museum and stuff.”
“Anytime,” I smiled back. “If you want to talk about this, or any of the other books, feel free to come see me, okay?”
Nina nodded, and then grabbed me and hugged me tightly before she gathered up her books and followed her friends. Again, I thought about calling Blake and trying to talk to him, but before I could make up my mind, the bell rang, and the next class of students streamed in, ready for their lesson.